The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-06-26

ne Overheard In n Cycieue-A Fisht with
( ~ q Maniac ON m Abandoned Huik.

of tho soa are not realized by tho sailor so long
~ he has o ship under him and comrades
about. One may float and drive for week in
adismasted craft without sighting q SAIL but
II no has the company OF officers and crew he
will take Il ns an incident to DO expected In
his calling. A ship may drive for days before
q terrific storm, all reckoning lost and each
plunge seeming as II It would DO her last; but.
90 long "a tho regular officers aro In command,
sailor Jack feels that the craft will somehow
pull through, and he docs not loso his heart.
A moro singular incident than one which 90
CURED while was one Of the crow OF the ship
Stranger Is not to be found In the records OF
the sea. We loaded at Liverpool for the Cape
and ports beyonds. on the weat coast OF Africa.
Our last port OF call was to be Zanzibar Boz
fore leaving the docks ct Liverpool two or
three OF us took down tho map hanging on the
wall at our boarding house and traced out the
course. Whom we came to figure up the dis
ranoe We wero amazed. When we came to
figure on the perils Of such voyage We won
dered how many OF us would live to soc tho
palms OF Africa. The average landsman sees
o ship pull out Of her dock without asking or
caring which way she La to 60, how long the
voyage IL to DO. or what the perils Of hor
course. Perhaps II Is not his business to ask
o. Each y9i"0s in me M 10 ssSs
Well, wo had touched ct Fort Natal 70 un-
IN q cyclone It came on about 70 o'clock In
S SrnT wo s sns
our had come ont Fl Mat" ow WIZ t H. w ans
ne ssh 1nsas oi mses ea
ioundered end went to tho bottom. and tho
other Wo almost ran oyer as she dritted az bottom on,
enough cargo to float like a cork but within an
hour the sea got up until mill pond constantly
cass over St tho sefa sa s Ss
stood hip deep In the frothy water. We had
c Fl S"H her chance to unload but even then
there wero occasions when 1t esemed rs l. she
SS ne that n,' any o ne wcps
watches were on duty. tho officers Ebert. and
We knew that nothing could be ilore. except to
sase IL roaring sne: Win the wind screams 81 r.
nies n an s hour no ship could have besn held up
to It. even II she were not driven under stern
had been calling for fifteen years and yet
had mover enconntcrcd ANYTHING s,.t tke this
ss Sa notEns by the
hanii 81 man should survive It, When we slid
down into tho great holowshe tween the waves y
rnared and shrieSed through our tophamper
like ten thousapd mad dsyils The. Then; as I'VE We
saeming to stand almost ,lerpendisular on her
Utern. the wild blasts struck usaeain until
wsrs in the , u" embrsss Of the storm tIe re;
rort OF Held Poes could not haye Ssen e N s6
snip. a livs.pound note would not have Tired
me to look again. a great wall Of water. crested
with six fcet OF froth, was rushing down as Il
10Y breath. it lifted the skip and flung her
forward as boy mightto chip. but would
1t waa about noon. and was making my way
ATTIC tell the Cai,t4in that we could make out
sSe q b. IN 10 ss Ny
grip on tho lie line WIS broken as the waters
rsihsd Sy%r M
ngainst two Of the men. buried over their beads Dc
IN wator. but hanging on for lifo. clutehed ut
and thirty iys seconds s iater was overheard ior
good and trying, to get my head above the
Wien did got look around mo the ship WAS
aGuarsr Of mile nTay and Just Isl sinking l9t6
most sailors Who have been put in such peril
that no hope q salvation existed that ee 81
tho poor follows aboard Of the stranger.
Their DANGER ne ar Gea EN- shsn he
parish on tho erneI lodges or be ;lrownsd in the
to eease strussinG and sink down, down, down
was aoabiless irownins when this feeling was
upon rae, but something occurred to arouse
me- some object Snmpsd aEainast me- fna as IN
part Of the cooks galley or house. The wave
which had swept me overheard bad smashed
me me- 1 can remember that / know what the OBJ:
lact was. and that. ,grasped 1t and felt that
I suppose i was bpficted about until lost
consciousness. but | had q grip on the wreck
The next thing i remember was . feeling. Of
thirst. l Thought l was wandering in the
tS sasa S s fpp s
about to slide down u bank into u dark rayine
when opened my eyos and found pyself ex-
" as s aser
that could open my fingers; The wind had
FURY Of ' the sea- but t %as still being tossed
about In a very unc2mfortable manner; The
events Of the day slowly came back to my be-
logged brain, figured that it was now coming
sus the a n sHns stoa sns
and by was forced TO the conclusion that It
was q. morning. and that l had hgnte s
81 this conclusion. As tho sun came up the
was pretty Comfortably fxed: though stiif and
bruised from bsinG 50 much lSa knocked about
say 4 mSday befers 1HW nina
Did hopeS Yes. Hope IS the last thing to
desert sar no matter h9w tho
nssisatien. and knew that it WAS q Circular
telling how large tho circle, OF, whether the
stranger was on the outer or the inner edge.
I.afterward learned that we were very near
the centro, and did not feel the force as much
no ships 100 miles to the south or west. A
great, part OF the Island OF Madagascar was
ravaged. and terrible havoc Was created sew,
London, Georgetown, and the Cape. Two
whalers 100 miles to the west OF us were dis.
hands.
think II WAS about 10 o'clock in the fore.
noon when. as was heaved up on q sea,
caught sight Of craft dead ahead Of mo and
not more than mile away. l didn't MAKE her
the sky and the spray 1yinS about me- but
when drifted nearer found her to b0 q dis-
masted brig. It was q mercy that Was lriv-
ing straight down upon her. for hadn't tho
strength to turn my unwieldy float an inch In
either direction. There were no signs Of lilo
about the wreck. and I made up my mind for
o tremendous struggle to get aboard OF her.
She was bulk and beng tossed ha ABOUT IKE
her I should drift away TO an awful
death fSm hunger and thirst i sa
wreck was stern on to me. This was proof